By Samantha Pires on February 27, 2021
Photo: Stock Photos from Franck Legros/Shutterstock
If you love the wide avenues and romantic architecture of
Paris, France, you might have
Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann to thank. Though Haussmann remains one of the most controversial urban planners in history, his design for Paris has become engrained in the city’s aesthetic and reputation.
Haussmann was a dynamic figure with a larger-than-life legacy. Napoléon’s nephew,
Emperor Napoléon III, upon meeting him was quoted saying, “I had in front of me one of the most extraordinary men of our time; big, strong, vigorous, energetic, and at the same time clever and devious, with a spirit full of resources.” These qualities would help Haussman completely change the city for better or for worse when the emperor appointed him to oversee the renovation of Paris’ old neighborhoods that he found